Norca Restaurant & Bar

This restaurant was truly amazing. It’s honestly hard to find a place in Ottawa with such beautiful decoration and thoughtful design, but this one really stands out. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the music added perfectly to the experience. The food quality was excellent, it felt familiar, like flavors I’ve enjoyed before, but presented in a fresh and exciting way. The service was also great. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and I especially appreciated that they didn’t come to the table too often. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming when servers interrupt repeatedly, but here it felt balanced and comfortable. I highly recommend this place, it’s definitely one of my favorite spots in Ottawa.

Went to this fine restaurant because we saw online that they had a special NYE menu, they called it a tasting menu. First impression we were told we could sit anywhere so we sat a a beautiful table. That table setting was perfect. Very romantic. We were a little upset that they changed the drink menu that was online. However that did not matter. We asked for the drinks that we wanted and they made it happen. You can see the pictures of our drinks in this review. Oh I didnt mention this was a 5 course tasting menu. You will notice that not all pictures are there because we were to amazed. First course came out. The server explained the dish in great detail making it even more enjoyable. This was how all the other courses came out as well. 10/10 Now for the negative.(and this has nothing to do with the service or food) We were disappointed with the lack of people in the restaurant. Yes maybe people came out later due to the day. We reserved for a 6pm time. We were the first people there. All the staff worked hard to make this a beautiful dinner/experience. I hope people read this review and make plans to attend next NYE. Last part of my review. Thank you to Chef James Bratsberg for creating such a wonderful menu. Enjoyed all the flavors, experience. Tried food that I have never tried before and enjoyed everything. Merci.

Beautiful restaurant and ambiance. We were hotel guests and didn’t know what to expect, very elegant and pricier options, nevertheless we had a drink and snack and it was really good!

The waiters to the sous chef have gone above and beyond to create a personal experience. Beyond that the food had been some of the best I’ve had. This is my third night ordering from Norca. Highly recommended.

We went to Norca for our Wedding Anniversary celebration while staying at Le Germain in Ottawa. It was wonderful. Service was great and food was delectable. I took a few pictures but missed a few dishes because we were too excited to try them and forgot to take pictures. We will be returning! We have had breakfast here twice as well and it has not disappointed.

First time at Norca, was always intrigued from the view from the street below. Nathan was my bartender and he was fantastic!!! I had 2 cocktails, oysters and a glass of wine. The ambiance is so beautiful in Norca, next time i come back i will definitely order more off the menu. There was a slight issue with my oysters but Nathan fixed it asap. Love it , highly recommended!!

Very pleasant atmosphere! And excellent service. We had some dietary restrictions and they happily accommodated. Food is delicious but more main dishes were somewhat too small for value.

Went for a work party. The atmosphere was perfect. Scenery is beautiful. The staff was so accommodating on my dietary restrictions. As a celiac who ate here I didnt get sick. They seemed very knowledgeable on protocols. I was very pleased with my experience.

Delicious. We stayed at the Le Germain Hotel and ate supper at Norca. Everything was clean, sleek, and well maintained. The plates are all small and suited for sharing like tapas. We had the hummus, cavatelli pasta, sirloin, and split the crème brûlée and chocolate ganache. All were delicious and beautifully presented. My only complaint is that I wish the portions were larger. Also, the Old Fashioneds were good!

Ok so we were really looking forward to trying this restaurant but unfortunately were quiet disappointed. Let's start with positives, decor is sleek and classy, romantic , servants very nice, polite, and well trained! Now the food.. nicely presented but the taste is not good! Yes we couldn't finish our plates!! Beet salad had no flavour, the beets were actually so hard, the pea soup was not good at all. The main dishes we ordered : fish and pasta also less than ok! We hope the food improves but we couldn't gamble and order desserts after the bad experience we had in the previous dishes! I gave 2 stars for the decor and service

Visited Norca early this morning during our stay at Le Germain Ottawa hotel! The continental breakfast was included with our stay, and they're located on the 2nd floor. It wasn't a huge selection in the buffet, however they have all the essentials! Cheese, chicken sausage patties, pastries, cereal, salad, hard boiled eggs, and fruits. You can simply walk in once you enter 2nd floor, and they will ask you to seat yourself anywhere in the restaurant. Coffee, milk, and juice is served at your table. They also have a small A La Carte menu at the table for an additional cost, but other than the omelette, there's nothing really that isn't already at the buffet table. Overall a comfortable atmosphere!

Went for dinner, was a fine dining experience. The service was fantastic and the server was very knowledgeable. The food and cocktails are great but it is an expensive spot. Still we really enjoyed our night, good atmosphere.

The Duck Fat Fries with the House Made ketchup and aioli alone warrant a visit. Quite delicious. And the service was right on par with the fare. For dinner I had the mushroom risotto which was fantastic. What I love about this place is the portions are small enough to try multiple entrees. Definitely don't sleep on this place!

An exceptional dinner! I wasn't initially feeling like fancy dining tonight and I'm so grateful my partner's better instincts won out. The vegetable platter was stupendous - an assortment of wonderful flavours (roasted squash with sweet-citrus spruce tree tips and pumpkin seeds), textures (both fresh and sun-dried tomatoes with capers and crisp house made sourdough croutons), and beautiful, simple ingredients with the perfect amount of sauce where desired (beet duo salad with toasted hazelnuts atop a generous swipe of blue cheese sauce.) The sweet potato chips were the thinnest, most crisp I've ever seen and light as air, and the roasted cauliflower was kissed with jalapeño slices and paprika, sitting atop a lovely sauce. Altogether excellent. So much so that we decided to scrap the other evening plan and stay there to share a main as well; the "Grano Arso" lobster garganelli. It was definitely earthier than expected (from the silky Coprin mushrooms) and richer (from the heaps of brown butter sauce), with a slightly chalky texture of the house made, burnt grain pasta. Lots of delicate lobster on top, with roe. A lovely dish but very rich. Particularly if the excellent Karolynn is your server (knowledgable, generous and funny) and she convinces you to try the Orchard dessert: salted caramel mousse around roasted apple under a white chocolate shell, styled into a vivid green apple that's befriended by shavings of Avonlea cheddar (also served as dollops of mousse) and a perfectly rich brown butter cake paired with onion jam. Wow. Altogether excellent and not overly sweet. I'm amazed more desserts don't come with slightly sour/ savoury notes like this, but not many people can cook like this. It's incredibly rare to find a meat-dominant chef who can work such wonders with vegetables. As pescatarians, we couldn't each much on the menu, but what we could try was superb. Wait, did I mention the decor? Fabulous, rustic coziness, with gorgeous corner windows overlooking the backs of the buildings which surround Bywood Market. Apparently there's a location in Montreal too, so we should reserve now, as I suspect that one is more well known and frequented. Somehow this still seems to be a secret. It's beyond me why it wasn't busy. In any other city there be a seriously long wait to get a table here. Norca is definitely worth a try if you're in the area and you're lucky enough to have someone smart enough to talk you into indulging in a seriously nice meal.